Dowry deaths | Supreme Court widens scope of Section 304-B

CJI Ramana’s judgement goes beyond a straitjacket and literal interpretation of provision

The Supreme Court indicated in a judgment on Friday that a straitjacket and literal interpretation of a penal provision on dowry death may have blunted the battle against the “long-standing social evil”. Dowry deaths accounted for 40% to 50% homicides in the country for almost a decade from 1999 to 2018. The judgment pronounced by a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana called dowry harassment a “pestiferous” crime where women are subjected to cruelty by “covetous” husbands and in-laws. In 2019 alone, 7,115 cases of dowry death were registered under .